• uniquely-ironic said on Mar 26, 2009....

  because they're so yucky to eat? (obviously not a fan of parsnips)

• KathQuiet said on Mar 26, 2009....

  Good things don't come easy.  Are parsnips good things?  My recollection is that they are not, but then, Mom had a way of severely overcooking and underseasoning things.  I've seen recipes for sweet pie made with them...  I've never ventured to cook them myself based on my childhood mis-experience with them.

• rupert7 said on Mar 26, 2009....

  uniquely - yucky to eat? yucky? are you crazy woman! LOL food of the gods M'Lady,food of the gods! I will find some receipies and you must,you simply must try one!
  
  Kath -  Don't come easy? ah! that explains why it is so difficult to grow!  I am sure your Mom was a great cook but maybe didn't quite get it with parsnip. Along with uniquely-ironic,please try one of these parsnip recipes. Here is a sample and the link you will need. When you click on the link,just enter "parsnip" into the search box and you will be taken to65 parsnip receipies.
  
  

  Ingredients (serves 4)

  • flour, for dusting
  • salt and cracked black pepper
  • 600g chicken thigh fillets, trimmed and cut into 3cm cubes
  • 1 small onion, sliced
  • 1 fennel bulb, trimmed and sliced
  • 1 parsnip, chopped
  • 1 1/2 cups (325ml) salt-reduced chicken stock
  • 1 cup (250ml) white wine
  • 1/4 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • 1 large sheet ready-rolled puff pastry, thawed
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten, to brush

  Method

  1. Combine the flour, salt and pepper in a bowl. Add the chicken and toss to coat, dusting off any excess.
  2. Heat a little olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken, in batches for 5 minutes or until golden then remove and set aside.
  3. Add a little extra oil to the pan and reduce heat to medium. Add the onion, fennel and parsnip and cook for 4-5 minutes or until just softened. Return the chicken to the pan and add the stock and wine. Reduce the heat slightly and simmer for a further 5 minutes or until the chicken mixture thickens. Remove from the heat, stir though the parsley, transfer to a bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until at room temperature.
  4. Preheat oven to 190°C. Spoon the cooled chicken mixture into a 4-cup capacity ovenproof dish.
  5. Place the pastry over the dish and press around the rim to seal the edges. Trim off excess pastry and discard. Make a couple of small holes in the centre of the pastry and brush the pastry lightly with egg. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden on top.

  Notes & tips

  • Large ready rolled pastry sheets are available along with regular size sheets. If you can't find them, use two regular sized sheets.
  • 
    
  
  

• KathQuiet said on Mar 26, 2009....

  Oh that recipe sounds yummy.  Mom is not a good cook.  She is a rather poor cook who happens to have a couple of good dishes, parsnips not included.  She does a delicious chicken, noodles and dumplings; split pea soup with ham; cranberry astoria; spritzen.  All else...well, there was a reason I learned to cook...good gosh, save me from the shoeleather liver! 
   
  Seriously, though, don't parsnips like a more acid soil?  perhaps turn some leaf detritus into the soil, or a bit of peat moss?  Here in Denver-ish, Colorado, it's the clay soil that's such a challenge to root vegatables and corn.  East 20 miles or so,  the beautiful sand is lovely for both.

• rupert7 said on Mar 26, 2009....

  Kath, my goodness young lady why are you not in the land of nod! Must be at least midnight where you are? I womestly don't know about the soil. Perth is built on a sand plain,so it is plenty sandy! Peat moss might help, might give that a go! It you click on the underlined words under notes and tips it will take you to a heap of receipies,not just parsnip! pea and ham soup!....its the best!!

• superbozo said on Mar 27, 2009....

  G'Day Mate. I think in perth it's best to build rasied veggie gardens. Line with plastic poke holes to let water drain and then put a good quality soil. It's like building a square retaining wall with sleepers. That way you can control the quality of the soil better and the plastic allows more of the water to sit in the soil. I'm trying to find the plans for you I've got some somewhere. Will let you know if i can find them. I've also seen people do miny ones with bath tubs etc. The sandy soil is probably the problem as they are probably not getting the nutrients they need from the soil.

• rupert7 said on Mar 27, 2009....

  super - thanks, an old bathtub might work as I don't have a lot of room anymore. You'd be right about the soil I think,it is very sandy. Thanks for the idea. All I have to do now is talk Jenny into letting me put a bathtub full of dirt in the courtyard! - wish me luck with that! I do like it!

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